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The Girl Without A Voice In Speak By Laurie Halse Anderson

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The Girl Without a Voice Do you know who you are? Do you know what you stand for? Do you know your beliefs? Do you have your own voice? Some people cannot answer these questions without the help of others, whether that advice is positive or negative. In the novel Speak, by Laurie Halse Anderson, she shows you the story of a girl searching for her voice. The main character of this life changing book, Melinda, a teen who was raped at a high school party, is struggling with speaking to others about the horrible event she experienced at the party. As she is starting her freshman year of high school some people will come into the story to help Melinda get the voice she does not realize is missing. Melinda finds that art class is her sanctuary and her art teacher, Mr. Freeman, is the only …show more content…

Mr. Freeman caught Melinda’s attention from the very beginning. “This is where you can find your soul, if you dare. Where you can touch that part of you that you’ve never dared look at before. Do not come here and ask me to show you how to draw a face. Ask me to help you find the wind” (Anderson 10). This quote could not have been more perfect for Melinda. Mr. Freeman had each student draw out a piece of paper with their assignment for the year written on it, Melinda drew out a piece of paper with the word tree on it; little did she know that the tree was going to be symbolic of Melinda herself. Mr. Freeman told each student that what they drew was going to be their destiny. Throughout the story Melinda began to compare herself to the trees she was producing. Toward the end of the novel Melinda began creating beautiful pieces of art with trees; this was symbolic of Melinda beginning to grow herself. Mr. Freeman not only offered Melinda a safe place, he showed her that it really is okay to be imperfect and to accept your flaws. Melinda truly thought of him as a hero but, with all heroes comes a

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Although she had been averse to the project given to her, she gradually began to like it. It was the only class she actually tried her best at, as an outlet to express herself, even if it was just the slightest bit. Over the next couple weeks, Melinda started to eat lunch with Heather and went on a couple trips to Heather’s home. The two formed an unhealthy friendship where Heather did about 90 percent of the talking, as she was much more social then Melinda. She wanted to be popular, however, which meant joining a one of the many cliques of high school.

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When she eventually breaks the mirror, she uses it against the boy, “Shards of glass slip down the wall and into the sink... I reach in and wrap my fingers around a triangle of glass. I hold it to Andy Evans’s neck.” (Anderson 195). This scene illustrates how much Melinda has grown.

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" Speak also states on page 161 " I am a deer in headlights of a tractor, is he going to hurt me again? He couldn't in school... why am I so afraid. " These examples from the text show all the problems Melinda had, for instance what Andy did to her,

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One will eventually come across the day where they are able to figure out who they truly are as a person. A discovery like this will lead to new chapters of life and start new beginnings. Although finding one 's identity can be difficult to understand and accept, it is crucial in life to discover oneself. In the novel Speak by Laurie Halse Anderson, a teenage girl, who had to overcome and deal with an awful tragedy, takes readers on the long journey she walked before finding meaning and value in who she is as a person.

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At the end of the story she finally found her voice and was able to stand up for herself. In the beginning, Melinda didn't talk to anyone, barely even to her parents. She says, “I have tried so hard to forget every second of that stupid party and here I am in the middle of a hostile crowd that hates me for what I had to do. I can't tell them what really happened” (Anderson, 28).

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But after the rape, Melinda is not happy with anything in her life and she is always stressed out. This is represented when she states, “But when I try to carve it, it looks like a dead tree, toothpicks, a child’s drawing. I can’t bring it to life. I’d love to give it up” (78). Melinda has changed dramatically, and this is represented by the tree she sees versus the tree she tries to make.

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By not saying anything, Melinda drifts further away from others and more so isolates herself. Everyone looked at Melinda like she was a monster. Melinda received looks from people she did not even know. This got in Melinda’s head and resulted in her feeling worse and she too, feared who she was. Melinda could not bear to see herself as she only saw an ugly person with many flaws.

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Like many isolated people, they were wrapped up in themselves and not too interested in the world outside. Charles Frazier once said “people who are isolated interest me,whether they isolate themselves or have been isolated by circumstances.” The inner thought coming from the heart represents the real motives and desires. These are the cause of action . The tree metaphor is speaking her voice and inner thoughts without her having to speak up.

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Melinda, in a lot of ways, starts out like that it the book. She becomes a shell of herself from before the party happened and because no one else was there, she is lonely and doesn't have anybody to go to and to make matters even worse, she’s covered by the reputation that she has formed. In the book, Laurie Halse Anderson uses symbolism to convey exactly what Melinda can't say. In the beginning of the book, Melinda starts high school carrying her emotional wounds with her after something happens mysterious to her at a party during the summer.

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